By Heather Michon
Correspondent
By the end of 2022, all signs of the 90-year-old Bremo Power Station should be gone.
The Fluvanna Planning Commission heard a presentation on the demolition project during their meeting on Tuesday night (June 7).
Dominion representative Sarah Marshall said the demolition of the main administration building started late last year with asbestos removal and dismantling of the interior. The final demolition of the building itself will begin soon.
Later this year, they will demolish the turbine building, which was shuttered in 2018. “We’re looking at the implosion of the turbine building,” said Marshall, a procedure that should help in dust mitigation. Water cannons will be set up around the structure and used during and after the implosion, and the resulting water will be captured before it reaches the James River.
Residents within a two-mile radius of the plant and businesses and churches within five miles will receive information on the implosion before it happens.
In the final months of the year, they plan to complete the demolition of five other small buildings and grade the entire site.
Commissioners questioned Marshall on how the company was handling the asbestos removal. She and her engineers said the asbestos is being double bagged before removing it from the site and sent to an approved facility for disposal. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has been involved in the entire demolition process, with a focus on protecting the river and any residents that live near the site.
The commissioners approved a sketch plan for the demolition by a vote of 4-0, with one member absent for the evening.
Proposed amendments to zoning ordinances
Douglas Miles, Director of Community Planning, introduced several new zoning text amendments designed to modernize zoning ordinances and provide pathways for businesses to find a home in Fluvanna County.
Among some new categories are assembly halls or event facilities designed for weddings, reunions, events, or conferences; breweries with taprooms; data centers, farm machinery sales and services; and vehicle impound facilities.
The proposed amendments will be added to the July agenda for further action.
PODS warehouse at Zion
Crossroads
Commissioners also gave approval to a special use permit for the construction of a 52,500 sq ft warehouse to be constructed on Rt. 250 and Edgecomb Road near Zion Crossroads. The developers say they are hoping to build the warehouse as a storage facility for the moving company, PODS.
